How we cite our quotes: (Paragraph)
Quote #1
Finkle, after six years of study, was to be ordained in June and had been advised by an acquaintance that he might find it easier to win himself a congregation if he were married. (1)
This is the starting point: a life so stunningly love-free that marriage is viewed as only a good career move. It's a handy starting point to chart Leo's progress, and helps us get a sense of how lost and lonely he was before we picked up on the story. It's a pretty sad state of affairs, even for someone who's studying so hard.
Quote #2
She was au courant, animatedly, with all sorts of subjects, and he weighed her words and found her surprisingly sound. (96)
First big change here. Leo's looking at the girl's personality, her intelligence and he interest levels, not just her looks. Pity it's all about to come crashing down. Even so, Finkle's early positive reaction to Lily shows that he's changing, and with that change, there might come love.
Quote #3
His whole life stood starkly revealed and he saw himself for the first time as he truly was--unloved and loveless. (114)
Pain leads to growth, and if you've lived a life that is unloving and unloved any growth is good. Having finally seen what his life was without love, Leo can then set about finding it… even if it breaks his matchmaker's heart.
Quote #4
Perhaps love would now come to him and a bride to that love. And for this sanctified seeking who needed a Salzman? (115)
Leo's still missing the point here. Love isn't just romantic love. It's recognizing the intertwined needs of his fellow travellers on spaceship Earth. He can't go it alone; he needs Salzman to finish this. But he still can't see that. Back to work, Rabbi.
Quote #5
"Love, I have said to myself, should be a by-product of living and worship rather than its own end. Yet for myself I find it necessary to establish the level of my need and fulfill it." (135)
Leo is expressing a need to set out on his own to find love, looking for it on his terms rather than anyone else's. Ironic, isn't it? The good news is that he's going to be disabused of that notion soon, suggesting that love can't come on your term, but on God's.
Quote #6
She lapsed forth to this heart—had lived, or wanted to—more than just wanted, perhaps regretted how she had lived—had somehow deeply suffered: it could be seen in the depths of those reluctant eyes, and from the way the light enclosed and shone from her, and within her, opening realms of possibility: this was her own. (143)
This is the turning point in Leo's search for love. He looks past the physical appearance of Stella and into what he believes to be her soul. That's what real love looks like.
Quote #7
"Why, he asks," Salzman said, bursting into tears. "This is my baby, my Stella, she should burn in hell." (188)
Leo isn't the only one grappling with love; Salzman loves people too. Okay, he's got a weird way of showing it, but the line here stems from heartbreak rather than real hate. He loves his daughter and wants what's best for her, even though she broke his heart. The question becomes whether he really doesn't want Leo to find her, or if he does want Leo to find her and is just putting on a show.
Quote #8
Through days of torment he endlessly struggled not to love her; fearing success, he escaped it. (189)
Nothing in "The Magic Barrel" is guaranteed, even love. The characters have to work for what they want, and in this case, the realization proves a valuable bit of wisdom for Leo to understand. It might not be the whole distance he needs to travel, but it's good enough… especially considering where he started
Quote #9
He pictured, in her, his own redemption. Violins and lit candles revolved in the sky. (201)
In the end, romance triumphs: for at least a few fleeting moments and maybe much longer, though we'll never know for sure. (Thanks, ambiguous ending.) In any case, if love can't prevail forever, then at least the hope of love can.